The Important Change You Didn't Notice In Papa Johns New Logo

You'll need a very careful eye to notice the major change in Papa Johns' new logo. And no, we're not talking about the brighter font or the new typography (though you have to admit, those are both pretty swanky upgrades). The important edit is actually in the name itself — to create a more clear brand voice for itself, Papa Johns is no longer called "Papa John's" with the apostrophe. 

WFLA states the company likely wanted to start on a new foot for several reasons. One, it wanted to distance itself from its founder, John Schattner, who had a controversial response to the national anthem kneeling protests in the NFL. Another reason — which was actually addressed by Max Wetzel, Papa Johns' chief commercial officer — was for the chain to stay updated with other similar fast-food restaurants. For example, Cicis and Bojangles are two chains that also dropped the apostrophes in their names.

According to WFLA, this new logo was only released on November 16, 2021, which means that there are still a lot of old "Papa John's" pizza boxes to go through at franchises across the country. But the pizzeria's social media accounts, including its Instagram and Twitter, have already changed the name sections to get rid of the apostrophes. Furthermore, the profile pictures on both platforms now feature the big, block letters with the company's updated color palette.

But don't you worry, because this change is all in the name, not the food. You can still pick up all your favorites at your local Papa Johns, including the pepperoni and Garden Fresh pizzas Likewise, the pizza chain will keep its slogan, "better ingredients, better pizza," which was invented in 1995 (via Business Insider). In 2016, the company cut out artificial flavors and ingredients from its menu, and we can only expect its quality to continue getting better over time. Furthermore, Papa John's International will still keep the apostrophe, as confirmed by a company representative.